Monday, August 24, 2009

Dr.'s visit

Saw my doc...

We scheduled a bunch of tests. This morning was not so fun. I had to drink funny liquid that was nasty while they took ex-rays of me in all these weird positions...

Thursday gets to be at a different office with ultra sounds and all kinds of girly crud.


Were going to rule out a lot of stuff hopefully. I also mentioned the things you all posted about and she is going to check for those (those are Thursday's tests).

She did confide in me that they may not be able to tell me why I get sick the way I do. But she promised to rule out the life threatening things and to keep working with me until we find something that will reduce or eliminate the side effects.

I like my doc. She's not giving up on me and she's testing for everything she knows of. At this point, I can't ask for more...

I hope thursdays tests come back negative or whatever... cause i'd really not like to have endrometriosis...

new phone not coming

Nope... They didn't attach my apartment number to the phone and its on its way... shipping back to Fort Worth TX...

after many calls to FED EX, AT&T... conference calls with both of them... an hour and a half later...


I'm not getting that phone... They are giving me a nicer one, but I had to pay more for it... 29.99 plus tax, but they added a 31.92 credit to my cell bill (the cost of the phone) and waved my activation fee, so the tax works out to what I spent on the first phone, and they should credit that amount to my card once they finish processing it in fort worth.

If they don't refund what I spent on the original phone, I'll be out 36.56... if they do, the $250+ phone will cost me $18.19

What am i getting shipped to me and in my hand by Wed?

The pantech matrix in blue

Kichen remodel ideas

So what am I thinking in terms of a kitchen remodel?

First I want to take down the cabinets that hang from the ceiling over the sink. This is a picture from another condo up for sale in the tract. (just look at the cabinets as the floor plan is way different.




They block the kitchen and make it slightly claustrophobic because they are right above the place where the bar stools are. I then want take then down and put them on the side of the wall that leads to the bedroom. (boyfriends family has there's this way and I like it.) Something kind of like this picture:



I'd like to re-do the cabinets in the whole kitchen so they are white with silver knobs. (I’m not sure if we can just replace the doors and paint the old ones.) or if they will have to be re-built.)

But here is where it gets tricky to explain… I want to continue the cabinets into the dinning room area and put in a build in lap top work area since it’s a one bedroom.
Kind of like this picture:



Instead of the picture hanging above and that cabinet below, I was thinking i'd puct the work station in the middle. (i actually put an offer in on this place and they never called me back) Sad Sad... anyways...

I want to re-do the counter tops in something black (no idea yet but maybe a granite knock off)… Eventually I’ll replace the stove and dishwasher but they currently work so there isn’t much of a rush there.... but oh eventually I want those things replaced. They are ancient.

Depending on how much it will cost, I’d like to have a built in dinning room booth instead of a table because when you first walk in there is a half wall separating the walk way from the dinning room... and with the built in work station, i'm going to want the table to be closer to the door. I figure an L shaped booth with chairs on the other side would be really nice.

Kind of like this photo:


But a greenish color... and more L shappend...

I know I want to paint the whole place… and eventually replace the tile in the kitchen, bath, and walk way as parts of it are chipped and cracked.

I Know i'll Put in 2 ceiling fans, replace the AC wall unit, and fix those electrical outlets first...

I know the last thing i'll do is put in these really awesome plantation shutters for the 2 sliding glass doors… but that will be the last thing I do cause they will have to be custom made and pricy... but i saw them in one of the condo's my friend is renting and I fell in love with them! Something like these two pictures:






I know… I know… I have huge ideas and dreams for this place, things will happen in phases and not all at once… I will try and do a lot of it myself and using friends and friends of friends… and it won’t happen over night… but these are my dreams, and well see how they shape up in reality.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Retirement Perspectives

My Goal is the leave the workforce on my 55th birthday, 11,581 Days from now.

** I’m not including the $1,800 in cash that I have sitting aside to Max out my Roth IRA for 2009. Until the money is deposited in there, it technically isn’t in there and therefore is not accounted for in this update.** I’m planning on depositing it slowly once I close escrow.

401 Account: Approximately 2.87 % of my portfolio• $552.18 (Employer Paid 1% of Salary); $566.14 Worth
o Up 2.53% from inception, +$13.96
o Stable Value Money Market Accounts make up 31.90%
o Milestone 2040 makes up 68.10%

457 Account: Approximately 5.24% of my portfolio• Employer Funded. Future Contributions Discontinued (minimal interest earned—like pennies)
o Positive $1,032.06

ING DIRECT Roth IRA: Approximately 10.88% of my portfolio
• $2,100.00 Invested; Worth $2,144.17
o Up 2.19% from inception. Positive $44.17
o CD’s ranging from 1.5% to 4.5%.
o Current Average CD rate 3.05%

ShareBuilder Roth IRA Approximately 47.50% of my portfolio• $10,100 Invested; Worth $9,362.29
o Down 7.30% since inception… Loss of -$737.71
o Strategic Allocation Moderate 93.40%
o Strategic Allocation Growth 6.60%
o Money Market Cash 0.0%

Excluding my Pension, my variable retirement accounts are worth $13,104.66. Of that I’ve only invested $12,200.00 of my money (the rest has been my employer). So technically I’ve made 7.41%. If I compare all the “free money” and my contributions (Totals $13,784.24), my portfolio is down 4.93% since inception.


Pension: Approximately 33.51% of my portfolio
I’ll have my 5 years of service in July of 2010. If I quit tomorrow, I’d just have the cash in the account. New Statements Delivered every November
• Up until 2007, Employer paid all contributions.
• Jan 2007- July 2009 Employee’s contributed 1%
o 2007- Contributions $299.74
o 2008- Contributions $336.12
o 2009- Contributions $214.82 (July 31st, 2009)
• As of August 1st, 2009 –Employee’s will now contribute 2% of income.
o 2009-Contrbutions $26.86 (August 14th, 2009)
o Cash Value as of 07.01.2008 $6,605.55.
• I’m ALSO buying additional time in my retirement accounts from when I was 16-18 years of age (service prior to membership). It’s less then a year’s worth of service credit, but I’ll be paying $33.06 for 48 more installments.
o 2009- Total Contributions $132.24 (August 14th, 2009)

My entire portfolio (if I cashed my pension out today) is worth $19,710.21

Updates on Condo Fees

I locked in my rate on Thursday night with Bofa. (5.25% interest rate with no points paid, BOFA FHA.) They are giving me $500.00 off the closing costs instead of an 1/8 of a point off—which I’m okay since that frees up more cash for the transaction and remodel.

The rates actually went up on Friday so I’m glad I locked late that night on the phone. I did my inspection and its just minor stuff so I’m not asking the bank to make any repairs to the property.


To date for the condo, my expenses are thus:
$7.00 Cashier’s check fee
$4,000.00 “hold money” –aka most of my down payment
$465.00 Appraisal Fee (which might be lowered so I could see an additional credit)
$35.00 Credit Report Fee
$275.00 Home Inspection.

$4,782.00

What’s cool is that $500 (Appraisal + Credit Report) went on my CC with 2% cash back because we needed to lock in my rate over the phone… So it’s like getting $10.00 off.

So really were @ $4,772.00

Estimates of my other costs are:
$1050.00 Lender Fees
$26.00 Flood Check Fee
$150.24 in Prepaid Interest
$1270.00 Property Taxes (10 Months)
$750 Closing/Escrow
$715.00 Title Insurance
$50.00 Courier
$100.00 Title Insurance Endorsement
$100.00 Recording
$655.00 Remaining Down Payment

Minus $500.00 Credit

So, if estimates are correct, $4,541.24 Left to pay…


For a total of: $9,313.24 ($4,655.00 of which is my down payment)

So I’m out $4,658.24 in Closing costs and Property taxes… But I’m getting $8,000 from the federal government, which in turn covers my closing costs and property taxes… and gives me an additional $3,341.76 to remodel with before I’m spending “my” money.

Any ideas on how much a kitchen remodel runs in a condo?

Thursday, August 20, 2009

I GOT MY PAPERS

I'm in Escrow, officially.

(to celebrate, I bought an IRA CD ($100) for 6 months at 1.65%..... interest rates are pitiful... the highest i could get was 1.75% but that was for 4 years so I took the short term route this time to see if rates go up a bit in the next few months)

I'm going to a thank you dinner for my work with the LA Marathon. My team's getting a plaque!

I applied for a promotion at work. Its a different department, less hours but about the same amount of money (net) that I'm making now and it has the possibility of going to full time which would be perfect. I hope I get it! It would be a great change and a wonderful experience!

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

still waiting

I had my inspection done... a few things need to get fixed and updated, but not too bad... and i know a few people who can help me.


I'm still waiting for the dang papers tho---- so i can start my loan... but my loan guys know the date we need to close by so its just a game of wait and see (and keep sending them new copies of everything once I get new statements)

I bought $100.00 worth of mutual funds from the $2,000 i have sitting for my Roth IRA (i noticed this week that I started to loose a little cash, in the fund, so I bought some more to lift my spirits)

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Retirement Perspectives

My Goal is the leave the workforce on my 55th birthday, 11,588 Days from now.

** I’m not including the $2,000 in cash that I have sitting aside to Max out my Roth IRA for 2009. Until the money is deposited in there, it technically isn’t in there and therefore is not accounted for in this update.** I’m planning on depositing it once I close escrow.

401 Account: Approximately 2.82 % of my portfolio• $552.18 (Employer Paid 1% of Salary); $558.32 Worth
o Up 1.11% from inception, +$6.14
o Stable Value Money Market Accounts make up 32.40%
o Milestone 2040 makes up 67.60%

457 Account: Approximately 5.32% of my portfolio• Employer Funded. Future Contributions Discontinued (minimal interest earned)
o Positive $1,032.01

ING DIRECT Roth IRA: Approximately 10.55% of my portfolio• $2,000.00 Invested; Worth $2,043.87
o Up 2.19% from inception. Positive $43.87
o CD’s ranging from 1.5% to 4.5%.
o Current Average CD rate 3%

ShareBuilder Roth IRA Approximately 47.17% of my portfolio• $10,000 Invested; Worth $9,141.19
o Down 8.58% since inception… Loss of -$858.81
o Strategic Allocation Moderate 93.30%
o Strategic Allocation Growth 6.70%
o Money Market Cash 0.0%

Excluding my Pension, my variable retirement accounts are worth $12,775.39. Of that I’ve only invested $12,000.00 of my money (the rest has been my employer). So technically I’ve made 6.46%. If I compare all the “free money” and my contributions (Totals $13,584.19), my portfolio is down 5.95% since inception.


Pension: Approximately 34.08% of my portfolio
I’ll have my 5 years of service in July of 2010. If I quit tomorrow, I’d just have the cash in the account. New Statements Delivered every November
• Up until 2007, Employer paid all contributions.
• Jan 2007- July 2009 Employee’s contributed 1%
o 2007- Contributions $299.74
o 2008- Contributions $336.12
o 2009- Contributions $214.82 (July 31st, 2009)
• As of August 1st, 2009 –Employee’s will now contribute 2% of income.
o 2009-Contrbutions $26.86 (August 14th, 2009)
o Cash Value as of 07.01.2008 $6,605.55.
• I’m ALSO buying additional time in my retirement accounts from when I was 16-18 years of age (service prior to membership). It’s less then a year’s worth of service credit, but I’ll be paying $33.06 for 48 more installments.
o 2009- Total Contributions $132.24 (August 14th, 2009)

My entire portfolio (if I cashed my pension out today) is worth $19,380.94

Friday, August 14, 2009

plans

I think for 2009 I won’t be able to itemize… I was talking to a friend of mine, and she said my first mortgage payment won’t be until November with a close date of September 23rd… so I won’t have enough to itemize… But for 2010, I’ll be able to itemize, that’s for sure!

This is what I’m thinking about for the game plan. Pay my regular payment while I’m re-modeling (hopefully not to go past December 31st) and use the extra money to pay for my remodel stuff in cash (well points on my CC that in turn is paid with cash). Then come January, begin to pay off the mortgage in a frenzy.

Why dash to pay it off?

Answer: Even with the rate so small, the balance on the loan is also too small…after 3 or 4 years, I won’t really be able to itemize because I’ll be a married woman by then… the standard deduction doubles when we get hitched and we won’t exceed it to itemize. I’ll still be able to itemize while I’m single even if I throw an additional $500.00 towards the principle balance. Plus, you pay more interest on the loan in the beginning. So to save the most money in the long run, I have to put up more cash in the first place.

If I never pay anything over the normal mortgage, I’ll pay $133,997.40 in interest... and that’s a heck of a lot of money… (and makes me pay double the amount for the place in reality.)

If I pay an extra $500.00 in principle every month, I only pay 46,718.21 in interest. And that’s a really nice savings… plus the mortgage is paid off in 12 years… (but that’s assuming I live there for 12 years… so I’d be able to make the additional payment which won’t be the case… but who knows what our income will be when we are married… and how long will call our condo “casa.”)

Since most investments (safe and secure) can’t get that kind of return (even 5.5%), it might make sense for me to try and eliminate as much of it as I can in the next three years (the minimum time I’ll be living there.)

Lots to think about… At least for now the game plan is to keep saving for the remodel so I can pay for that in cash… and then get my fabulous government $8,000 check.

I’m going to use my rebate to pay myself back for all closing costs (minus my down payment— So that’s the start of my getting hitched account), and then use the remainder to help off set the costs of remodel so I’m not really “out” any money and it’s invested back into the property. That way when I eventually sell the place (after I attempt the whole land lord thing) I’ll be sitting pretty.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

HUGE VENT!!!

Yesterday I got up at 4:30am, was at work by 5:15am… jogged on my lunch break AND made phone calls to figure out our pot luck bible study dinner, completed my shift at 2:15pm, drove from my work to my apartment, then past my work again to go to the realtors office that’s far away by 3:15pm… signed and read more paperwork and confirmed our inspection time for Monday… and found out that my realtor didn’t tell me I needed a cashier’s check by tomorrow morning… so at 4:00pm I headed to the bank for a cashier’s check, which brought me over to my apartment again because there wasn’t a single BOFA on the way there—only to have the fire department not let anyone in the building… so I had to drive to the only other one another city over (but thank God it was open till 6pm)…

then I had to head over to a different BOFA loan center (right by my apartment) to drop off further papers by 5:30 (I got there at 5:15) to help them track my finances and get my loan processed faster. Then back to my realtor’s office (at least it was the one near my apartment that we usually meet at)… and was at my apartment by 5:30pm to pick up the food I dropped off earlier for the potluck…

to have boyfriend pick me up... only to drop something off on the way to the study at someone elses house … to finally get there at 6:10 (we were supposed to be there at 5:45) and then cooked for 8-10 people… (I had to cook cause boyfriend had to pick up another person after he dropped me off). Then we had to drop her off on the way home… and I finally got to collapse when I got home and was dead to the world by 10:30pm… to be up at 4:30am for work again… today

And boyfriend wonders why I’m so tired and grouchy…

not to mention that I’ve lost 11 lbs since going to the doctors so my body is all wacky and NONE of my pants fit, (my belts won't go tighter and i'm in the smallest hole... I can’t eat chips and salsa and I really wanted chips and salsa last night with the tacos (I had to make a salad)… ...

but after I almost broke down crying in the car on the way to the home I think he got the point that I don’t need his whining about me not being perky and fun the last couple of days and being rather short with him due to exhaustion.

After all, yesterday was HIS day off and he sat at home.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Budget and future plans

Starting this month, I’m required to pay more of my salary toward my pension. (An additional 1%.) I also have yet to receive my review and merit increase from last fiscal year (which could be around 6% if I was “good”). I also have my paychecks deducting additional money each check to go towards my retirement in the form of purchasing old service credits from when I was 16-18 years of age.

So I’m left to estimate. Here’s is what the August budget looks like:

1252.00 a check
Laundry $20.00
Gasoline/Car $100.00
Groceries & Food $120.00
Utilities (Cell phone, Water, Electric, Gas) $125.00
Car Ins $66.00
Rent $795.00
Unexpected? $26.00

Fun $50.00
Offering (LTG) 40.00
Offering (movement) 10.00
Chunch (lunch after church) $40.00
Kim’s Wedding $50.00
Condo Inspector Fee $275.00
House Down payment fund/Remodel Fund 787.00


Yup, I’m still putting money into the House fund. Why? I can always fall out of escrow, I don’t need the extra money right now, and frankly I’m used to it so why not? I want to re-do the kitchen in the new place, buy 2 ceiling fans (boyfriends dad will install them), and be able to paint the place. That requires extra funds. I’ll also need to pick up a few things that currently belong to roommate… and eventually those appliances will need replacing. so I’m still chugging along.

I’m not sure if I want to pay down the loan faster. I haven’t locked my rate yet since I’m still waiting for the agreement in writing… but it will be under 5.5% and I’ll be able to write that and my property tax off… but my property tax is really low and it might not be enough to itemize, so I may choose to pay down the loan faster because that will essentially allow that money to make 5.5% and I can’t find anything better then 3.5% for long term investing CD’s. So I’ll run the numbers once I close escrow to see how much interest I’ll be paying and what not.

I’ll be getting $8,000 from the government and I know I’ll increase my emergency fund to 6 months of my expenses and call it at that since my current job is stable. So the choice then becomes what I want to focus on next, paying off the mortgage fast… or begin to save money for my next real estate investment… or a long exotic vacation… hmmmm

Monday, August 10, 2009

=) Roomate knows, and inspection hunt.

I told my roommate that i'm going into escrow today... she took it well and has apparently found someone to take my place so she won't have to move. A win win situation! I'm excited for her because I knew she didn't want to move home with her dad and now she won't have to. Who knows, maybe I can get taken off the lease early and have this new girl replace me?

I spent the morning researching inspectors and I found one. I'll be making an appointment with him for Monday (my day off) when I leave the library.

Boyfriend saw the one bedroom and likes it, so does his dad who offered to put up my ceiling fans since the electricity is already there.

I also know a construction guys who's offered to help me with my kitchen remodel. =)

I may go down to Home depo and looks at some paint swabs later this week for fun!

Looks like the inspection will cost me around $275.00 - $300.00

My loan guy at BOFA e-mailed me the documents I need to fill out and told me what I need to bring him. Once boyfriend gets home i'll print that stuff out at his house, sign, and drop it off at the loan office. =)

The official papers should be coming to my relator today, of which i will then get a copy over to my loan guy.

And apparently, he told me rates were dropping! Woot.

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Awwwww i feel so good!

I spent my morning (prior to the discovery that I was going into Escrow on Monday)pricing one bedrooms since I was getting very frustrated with the house hunt.

The cheapest was 1050 ((next door to my current apartment)--a nice move in deed, lol)).. add in pet rent and its 1,100.00

The condo, for taxes, HOA, PMI, & Mortgage $1,183.87... My closing costs and downpayment are estimated to run me $9,609.40 ($8,000 returned by Uncle Sam)So $1,609.40 (the cost of pet rent and a security deposit.)

How B-E-A-utiful is that? after the tax deductions it's about the same (if not cheaper), and I get to get equity.

I already have remodle ideas! No more roommate for good... I wonder when I should tell her...

WAHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOO

I'M OPENING ESCROW ON MONDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I got it!!!!!!!!


I got it!!!!!!!!


it's mine!


the one bedroom for $133,000!!!!!!!!!!!!

never mind....

So much for lay off protection… I called the place (acting like someone who doesn’t live there)and It’s only on new leases or renewals… and I’d have to be the one who gets canned. (I make over 50% of our qualifying income)…

So I won’t be going down to the office and trying to negotiate the rent. No need for them to know roommates money is getting tight because they are cutting her hours at work. She’ll just have to deal and keep paying me.

Condo hunt... rent negotiation

Why won't anyone call me back!!!!!!! uggggg
and another offer was made yesterday for a really nice fixer upper.
Why do I have the feeling i'll be getting a one bedroom apartment in december?

I'm also going to the front office to ask them to re-duce our rent on our apartment since my roommates income is dropping badly and they are renting out unit floor plan much cheaper then what we are paying. (they let people out of the lease if they loose their job, so i'm going to see if we can negotiate.)

I Heart khols

I did more shopping. I’ve lost ten lbs since my trek to the doctor (I was 154 lbs on my zeroing scale… yesterday it was 144) and khols was having a tax free weekend, 20% off entire purchase, additional clearance markdowns, and I had a $10 off your purchase of $20.00.. not to mention it was a sale with power hours… all of that I didn’t know until I went to the store.

I saved $260… and got 3 bras (2 pretty and one strapless---something I’ve wanted for a year), one dress, 4 petit tops, and one regular top… all for $80.00.

I didn’t buy bottoms. I’m waiting till my 30 days of the new diet is up (were on day 8), and a month into adding healthy grains (ones without flour and sugar) to see how I stabilize weight wise. The shirts will fit nice one me if I drop more or stay the same, so I bought those. The dress will just look nicer if I drop more.

I can wear a belt till then and I might put a few pairs of pants in the dryer to tighten them up since I air dry all my clothes. (on a side note, a pair of capris that was too snug, they fit again so I’m going to sew on the button that fell off and add them into my closet rotation.)

Retirement Perspectives

My Goal is the leave the workforce on my 55th birthday, 11,595 Days from now.

** I’m not including the $2,000 in cash that I have sitting aside to Max out my Roth IRA for 2009. Until the money is deposited in there, it technically isn’t in there and therefore is not accounted for in this update.**

401 Account: Approximately 2.82 % of my portfolio• $538.21 (Employer Paid 1% of Salary); $546.67 Worth
o Up 1.57% from inception, +$8.46
o Stable Value Money Market Accounts make up 32.30%
o Milestone 2040 makes up 67.70%

457 Account: Approximately 5.33% of my portfolio• Employer Funded. Future Contributions Discontinued (minimal interest earned)
o Positive $1,031.95

ING DIRECT Roth IRA: Approximately 10.56% of my portfolio• $2,000.00 Invested; Worth $2,043.57
o Up 2.78% from inception. Positive $43.57
o CD’s ranging from 1.5% to 4.5%.
o Current Average CD rate 3%

ShareBuilder Roth IRA Approximately 47.17% of my portfolio• $10,000 Invested; Worth $9,131.09
o Down 8.69% since inception… Loss of -$868.91
o Strategic Allocation Moderate 93.30%
o Strategic Allocation Growth 6.70%
o Money Market Cash 0.0%

Excluding my Pension, my variable retirement accounts are worth $12,753.28. Of that I’ve only invested $12,000.00 of my money (the rest has been my employer). So technically I’ve made 6.27%. If I compare all the “free money” and my contributions (Totals $13,570.11), my portfolio is down 6.02% since inception.


Pension: Approximately 34.12% of my portfolio

I’ll have my 5 years of service in July of 2010. If I quit tomorrow, I’d just have the cash in the account. New Statements Delivered every November
• Up until 2007, Employer paid all contributions.
• Jan 2007- July 2009 Employee’s contributed 1%
o 2007- Contributions $299.74
o 2008- Contributions $336.12
o 2009- Contributions $214.82 (July 31st, 2009)
• As of August 1st, 2009 – Current, Employee’s will now contribute 2% of income.
o Cash Value as of 07.01.2008 $6,605.55.
• I’m ALSO buying additional time in my retirement accounts from when I was 16-18 years of age (service prior to membership). It’s less then a year’s worth of service credit, but I’ll be paying $33.06 for 49 more installments.
o 2009- Total Contributions $99.18 (July 31st, 2009)

My entire portfolio (if I cashed my pension out today) is worth $19,358.83

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Cell phone

Okay… I need a new cell phone… and my policy is always the same… I never pay for one. I found 4 phones that have what I deem worthy. They all have the three things I need

They vibrate, they have a speaker phone, and they have a camera…

As a bonus, these also have blue tooth capacity, and are MP3 players.

Sony Ericsson w350 Blue
Samsung a637 Black
LG CF360 Black with blue Accents
Samsung a237 Blue

All are free with contract renewal, so $18.00 activation fee (and come with the charger). Any horror stories? I was thinking of getting the propel, but the sale ended last month and I won’t pay for a phone so it got scratched.

I’m thinking I might do a drive by the store and see if I can fiddle with the enough to get a feel for them, then buy it online.

Shopping

I went shopping yesterday! I had to get a lavender dress for my boyfriend’s sister’s wedding in November… before the color disappeared. Last week I hit every store in the mall… nothing in this shade of purple… then we hit the “the spectrum”… nothing in the whole place…. After countless outlets, including a Nordstrom’s Rack (which I found something I could have worked with, but it didn’t zip all the way)… we finally gave up and went to David’s Bridal. But no, nothing in that shade (the bride got her dress from Alfred Angelino and it’s a three month wait for a dress so I can’t get mine there since the wedding is in three months.)

I found the Dress at Jessica McClintock. It was the only one in the store in the right color… it was on the clearance rack… and I look like a million dollars… it was $80.48… not bad. All we have to do is hem it because I’m so short (a friends mom is doing it for me) and were going to take the extra fabric from the hem to make it into a halter (because it’s backless). So At least I found that.

I also got a $10.00 off a purchase of $20 for Khols (since my apartment is so close we get door hangers every now and then). So I went looking but I didn’t have much time. I found a Cute $39 dollar summer dress on clearance but there wasn’t a tag and I didn’t see anymore of them…. So I went just to see what it was listed at…. It came to, with tax $3.92…. So I still have my coupon and I’m going to hit khols up when I get some time… (I’ve lost a lot of weigh with the new eating program and a lot of my digs need to be replaced.) The pants I bought a couple weeks ago, baggy. So sad… nothing ever fits at my waist… But the dress will still fit and look good is I loose more, or if I keep the same or gain a lb or two (which will not happen because I want to look like a knock out for that wedding in November.)

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Retirement Perspectives

My Goal is the leave the workforce on my 55th birthday, 11,602 Days from now.

** I’m not including the $2,000 in cash that I have sitting aside to Max out my Roth IRA for 2009. Until the money is deposited in there, it technically isn’t in there and therefore is not accounted for in this update.**

401 Account: Approximately 2.81 % of my portfolio• $538.21 (Employer Paid 1% of Salary); $538.28 Worth
o Up 0.013% from inception, +$0.07
o Stable Value Money Market Accounts make up 33.80%
o Milestone 2040 makes up 67.20%

457 Account: Approximately 5.38% of my portfolio• Employer Funded. Future Contributions Discontinued (minimal interest earned)
o Positive $1,031.90

ING DIRECT Roth IRA: Approximately 10.63% of my portfolio• $2,000.00 Invested; Worth $2,039.25
o Up 1.91% from inception. Positive $39.25
o CD’s ranging from 1.5% to 4.5%.
o Current Average CD rate 3%

ShareBuilder Roth IRA Approximately 46.74% of my portfolio• $10,000 Invested; Worth $8,964.37
o Down 10.35% since inception… Loss of -$1,1035.63
o Strategic Allocation Moderate 3.30%
o Strategic Allocation Growth 6.60%
o Money Market Cash 0.1%

Excluding my Pension, my variable retirement accounts are worth $12,573.80. Of that I’ve only invested $12,000.00 of my money (the rest has been my employer). So technically I’ve made 4.78%%. If I compare all the “free money” and my contributions (Totals $13,570.11), my portfolio is down 7.34% since inception.


Pension: Approximately 34.44% of my portfolio
I’ll have my 5 years of service in July of 2010. If I quit tomorrow, I’d just have the cash in the account. New Statements Delivered every November
• Up until 2007, Employer paid all contributions.
• Jan 2007- July 2009 Employee’s contributed 1%
o 2007- Contributions $299.74
o 2008- Contributions $336.12
o 2009- Contributions $214.82 (July 31st, 2009)
• As of August 1st, 2009 – Current, Employee’s will now contribute 2% of income.
o Cash Value as of 07.01.2008 $6,605.55.
• I’m ALSO buying additional time in my retirement accounts from when I was 16-18 years of age (service prior to membership). It’s less then a year’s worth of service credit, but I’ll be paying $33.06 for 49 more installments.
o 2009- Total Contributions $99.18 (July 31st, 2009)

My entire portfolio (if I cashed my pension out today) is worth $19,179.35